Barbecue Flavored Kisses
by ScarletStripe
Summary: Chouji's down and out in the relationship department, but will a little bit of loving patch him up when he gets a little morsel of his own? Slash, ChoujixMOC. Even Chouji deserves a little yaoi. Complete
1. Chapter 1

**I apologize for any puking or retching you have during this story. At the moment, I should be writing some Chemistry paper on Nuclear Energy, but I'd honestly rather write about something more interesting XD. I'd originally planned a ShikaChou fic, but I've yet to start that at the moment.  
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_Diclaimer: I do not own any characters portrayed within this story with the exception of the second male lead. In no way shape or form do I receive monetary profit from the creation of this fic._

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Late October brought forth a blazing display amongst the trees in Konoha; a testament to the Land of Fire. After a rather lengthy and tiresome series of peace negotiations, Konoha had received a lull in the demand for ninja, leaving the village's shinobi to their own devices. A solid week had gone by with not so much as an urgent letter or explosion, giving Konoha's ninja the rare opportunity to relax and unwind. Like the day-lit hours, this span of time seemed to be slowly drifting further away, threatening to vanish like a wisp of smoke in a moments notice. With the first hints of winter nipping at the villagers' noses, a shroud of laziness seemed to descend upon Konoha. The usually diligent ninja shied from their training. Today, they were occupying their time by sitting in front of their old school.

"Hey, do you guys know who that kid is?"

Chouji scratched his first chin as he awaited the others' responses. There was a kid sitting under a tree near the entrance of the academy. He was pretty good looking, Chouji had to admit, but he had the kind of face you'd pass by in a crowd without ever noticing. The black hair and fair skin did nothing to distinguish him from anyone else in Konoha. Plus, his build was slightly heavier than skinny, but lighter than heavy, so he could only be described as average. The forehead protector hanging lop-sided on his neck revealed that he was a shinobi though.

"Um..." Hinita mumbled softly.

"Wait... Who?" Ino was obviously too busy paying attention to the scratch in her nail polish.

"What're you talking about Chouji? I don't see anyone." Naruto was a little more blunt than the rest. Chouji palm was nearly to his forehead when he realized the kid was gone. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the shadow of someone walking.

Chouji rounded the corner of the Academy building to find the kid training. Back there they had a large field for sparring and exercising as well as multiple obstacle and training courses. Currently, he was wailing on a giant log that served as a dummy. By the time Chouji looked back to see if the others were coming, they were practically stacking on top of him.

"That's that kid... I don't remember his name, but I think it was 'Teddy' or something," mumbled Kiba. "I've seen him training sometimes, and Akamaru recognizes his scent."

For some reason, Chouji could've sworn he remembered meeting a Teddy, but the exact memory eluded him. It might've been at the Hokage's funeral, but he couldn't be sure since practically the entire village had turned out for it. He fiddled with the straps of his red armor and flicked a little dust off of it.

"Wait, he's in our class?," Naruto blurted. "I would've seen him if he was!"

"You couldn't see a stripe on a zebra, Dumbass," Shikamaru sighed. "He wasn't even in our year either. He's one of the new genins I think."

Naruto stood there fuming as Lee stepped forward. "I... I am ashamed," he confessed, hanging his head. "I never took notice of our comrade before." After a quick pause, he screamed, "We shall be best friends!!!" Stamping his feet into the ground, he took a herioc pose there with his hair blowing in the wind until Tenten smacked him in the back of the head.

"Lee! You don't just go and be best friends with someone, you have to get to know them first," she chided. "But there's something pretty familiar about him... I could've sworn I've seen with him before, but I just can't remember..."

"Now that you mention it...," Neji mumbled absent-mindedly. All eyes were on him in an instant. They obviously expected him to shed some light on the situation. Instead, his cheek twitched slightly and his hands balled into fists. "What?" He turned a cold stare on them that could've spoiled milk.

"Hm... well, he's not that good anyways," commented Naruto who watched the controlled, precise kick and punch combos the kid was throwing at the dummy. His strikes were slow and deliberate, but not for long. His pace gradually picked up momentum, growing faster with each blow that landed. Pretty soon, all that could be seen was a blur of movement followed by what sounded like firecrackers as each hit was scored in quick succession.

Lee looked on appreciatively, obviously admiring Teddy's apparent skill in tai-jutsu. The rest of the group looked stunned at the display.

"Still not that impressive...," Naruto pouted. Just then, Teddy flipped away and jumped at least ten feet off the ground, kicking up dust in his wake. A split second later, shuriken raced to the dummy like angry hornets. The hits landed consecutively, their sound ringing through the trees like the spray of rapid-fire bullets.

"Amazing!," Hinita squealed softly as she twiddled her fingers. Her harsh bang swayed a little as she tried to get a better look. She was crouched behind Chouji, looking on with an appreciation that nearly matched Lee's, and now Tenten's. In fact, most of the group was so intent on watching that they didn't notice Chouji hadn't said a word since he asked who the kid was. However, everyone could tell that Naruto was getting jealous, but they just let him stew in his own muck.

"Anyways!," Kiba huffed as he scratched his belly. "Anybody wanna go say hi?"

Everyone in the group shook their heads no except for four; Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino because they refused to provide input, and Chouji because he was too entranced to notice Kiba's question.

Suddenly, Teddy stopped and just stood for a second. Everybody held their breath, refusing to betray their location. However, Chouji's knee suddenly decided it would be a splendid time to buckle, so he fell forward with an audible "thump!" as he hit the ground. Just as suddenly as he stopped, Teddy swung around, sending a kunai straight towards them. They froze in terror as the razor sharp weapon flew closer.

Chouji's eyes had been closed tightly shut, and he flinched as he heard the sickening sound of metal splitting wood. When he peeked up, he saw the kunai had skewered a falling leaf and wedged itself into a thick oak tree.

In the time it took Chouji to realize it was over, Teddy had rushed over to them, and was now on the floor bowing his apologies. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," he begged frantically into the ground.

Reaching out a hand, Chouji stopped his bowing. "It's fine," he answered shakily with a wan smile. Although he'd been scared out of his wits, he tried to give Teddy a kind look, but because of how chinky he was, you couldn't really tell from the eyes; more from the smile. "We're the ones who should be apologizing." Chouji hung his head in apology, prompting the others to follow suit.

From this distance, Chouji could now see Teddy in more detail. He could see that Teddy's eyes were a deep, rich chocolaty brown. Unlike before, his hair was disheveled now, sticking out in odds and ends as a breeze picked up behind him. The training must've been strenuous because he had a sheen of sweat forming over his brow. Chouji was so close that he could smell the scent of crushed pine needles and a hint of spice coming off him.

Upon closer observation of his proportions he noticed a round baby face, and big eyes, but everything else about him small (Chouji would add rather cuddly too) if only for the sake of height. Despite that, Chouji saw that he could've only been a couple of inches taller than the boy.

Teddy waved his hands in front of him frantically, "No, no, it's quite alright!" An awkward pause settled between them as they searched for the right words to say.

"A-anyways, I'm Chouji. Akimichi Chouji," he extended a armored hand in greeting.

Teddy took it politely. "I know. I know all of you actually, but I don't think I've ever formally introduced myself," he turned to the entire group. "My name is Teddy... Just Teddy."

A few of them bowed back, but most went only far enough to give a nod of acknowledgment.

"So... um...," Teddy stuttered. "Was there some particular reason you guys were watching me?" A shaky laugh followed his question, and he gave Chouji a strange look. Those eyes sent shivers down Chouji's spine when he realized how they must have seen the guilt practically dripping off of him.

"Yeah, w-well... Y'know... W-we were just curious, right guys?," Chouji stuttered as he pulled nervously at the bag of chips at his side. The ruffling nearly distracted him from the disconcerting silence pounding against his eardrums. "Guys?"

He looked back to see that his friends had abandoned him. It really wasn't that hard to believe that they'd ditch him, being ninja and all, but it didn't mean that his feelings weren't hurt. Chouji heaved a big sigh as he turned back to Teddy.

"So Teddy...," Chouji muttered. Suddenly, he found himself tripping over his words. The knowledge that he was alone with this guy was enough to send the butterflies in his stomach crazy. The rest of whatever he was going to say was caught up in his throat, but Teddy had mercy on him and didn't push the subject.

"Well, Akimichi Chouji, I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Teddy sighed. He rubbed his stomach slowly while holding the back of his neck. It seemed as though that now that they were alone Teddy was willing to drop his almost Lee-like manners.

Chouji was halfway to answering when his stomach growled. His gaping mouth stayed open as his cheeks flushed scarlet.

Teddy laughed as Chouji attempted to shrink into the building. "C'mon. It'll be my treat."

If the stomach was the stairway to a man's heart, Chouji's stomach was an elevator. With every moment they neared the restaurant, Teddy was one step closer to having a one-way ticket to Chouji's heart.

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Teddy wasn't sure how to react to the events earlier. What he did was polite, but by no means smart. Smart would have been giving him a quick, "Nice to meet you," or "See you later,", but that never occurred to him until _after _he'd invited Chouji to lunch. That wasn't to say he didn't like Chouji; quite the contrary really.

As they walked, Teddy tried to keep his distance, while acting causal, and at the same time making sure he wasn't so casual that he seemed disinterested. He found himself having to consciously urge his heart rate down whenever a arm or hand would brush against the other boy next to him.

Despite everything telling him not to, he allowed himself to glance over at Chouji, if only for a second.

His customary Akimichi armor and headdress hung heavily on him, though their weight never showed in his stride. Teddy had to angle his head up to see his face, though he wasn't that much taller. The kind, gentle smile seemed to always be planted on his lips, flanked by the swirling tattoos; the markings of his clan. Teddy could almost snort; as if anybody would mistake him for an Uchiha or Hyuuga. Chouji was much too kind and his manner held no trace of the inner conflicts of those clans.

Traveling lower, Teddy noticed that Chouji wasn't actually as fat as the others let him on to be. Sure, he had a pocket of fluff here and there, but when it boiled down to it, he was, in fact, just built big; probably just an Akimichi thing. In other words, he was the size he was meant to be, and Teddy could respect that. Since those days when he was the proverbial Rudolf of ninja games, he'd actually slimmed down quite a bit. The gibes he got about his weight were just fueled by the nature of his techniques more than anything. Besides, Teddy had always liked his guys a little... bigger.

For a split second, Chouji's eyes shot up to meet Teddy's. If they weren't using their feet for walking, they'd probably be kicking themselves from embarrassment.

"So, any ideas about where we're headed?," asked Teddy awkwardly. "If not, I know this good barbecue place..."

"Barbecue?," Chouji blurted. That one word alone could pry him from the cold grip of death.

Teddy was blushing from the Chouji's sudden stirring of interest. "Y-yeah, but I mean, if y-you want... I... um..."

"No, no! Barbecue is perfect," Chouji reassured. He tried to ease Teddy's mind with a pat on the back. Unconsciously, Chouji let his hand linger a little longer than was necessary.

"Oh, look. We're here!," Teddy beamed as they neared the doorway of the restaurant. He turned to Chouji and smiled. "Are you still hungry?"

"I-," Chouji started before his stomach growled again. "Yeah"

He hid his face as he just stood there again before Teddy grabbed his arm and dragged him to through the door.

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"Wow," Teddy burped and sat back in his seat as he watched Chouji continue to eat nonchalantly. "I have to be at least a couple pounds heavier." He rubbed the bulge in his stomach. Looking up at Chouji's goofy smile had him smiling too.

Chouji found the sight of Teddy grumbling from across the table pretty cute. "Well, I'm sorry to say that I probably beat you in that department," he joked with a firm pat to his tummy. Chouji had just given up on the pleasantries and spoke between morsels as he let the chopsticks in his hands hang limply in his grip.

"Sorry," Teddy mumbled apologetically.

Chouji waved the apology away. "Don't be" After a long pause, Chouji's voice took on a serious tone. "So, you live alone?" Teddy nodded. "Naruto's the only other kid I've heard of who lives by themselves."

An awkward moment passed after Teddy's laugh subsided. "Well, my parents died a while ago on a mission, and they left me enough to live off of until I'm old enough to pay my own way. I don't have very many memories of them, so it's nothing new," Teddy murmurred darkly as Chouji continued to chew. It was eerily familiar to Naruto's situation.

The seconds ticked by as the dull roar of activity in the restaurant bustled around them. Chouji couldn't bring himself to do anything but take the occasional bite of barbecue. Teddy's words weighed heavily on his mind. What would it be like if he was alone in the world? Teddy lived by himself for what could have been years, and before today, Chouji and the others didn't even know he existed.

Chouji looked seriously at the boy across from him. The heat billowing from the barbecue pit sent the image fluttering, as if a sheet of water rippled between them. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his hair a bit ruffled as he ran his hand through the locks near his ears that were just long enough to wrap around a finger.

Turning his attention back to the waning flames of the small barbecue grill, Chouji noticed there was only one more piece left sizzling against the grating. His eyes darted back to Teddy staring dreamily out of a window and to the barbecue left on the grill again.

"Here, Teddy," Chouji offered as he picked up the barbecue. He glanced about to make sure there was nobody he recognized. Shikamaru would never let him live it down if he saw what he was about to do.

"Hm...?," Teddy hummed, snapping gently back to reality. "Thank you, Chouji, but it's yours." Teddy gave him a smile, but it faded a little when he realized that Chouji wasn't budging.

On the other end of the chopsticks, Chouji was determined to show Teddy the magnitude of the gesture. It pained him to part with the last piece, but it he felt like he owed Teddy something for footing the bill, though he had to admit that he found his expression pretty adorable.

"Just take it," Chouji growled gruffly. He made no motion to proceed or withdraw, leaving it all up to Teddy.

"Um... alright," Teddy blushed. His chopsticks were already taken by waiter, so he had no idea how he was supposed to eat it. Teddy peered at his hands and saw the dust covered digits curling under his sight. It took him a second to realize what Chouji was getting at.

Teddy awkwardly took the meat between his teeth and chewed it slowly under Chouji's watchful gaze. Flustered, he tried hiding his face in his hands, but found himself fumbling with the movement as the blush overtook his cheeks.

"Ch-Chouji, I have to go...," Teddy mumbled, snapping Chouji out of a trance who hadn't even noticed that he was staring.

"W-what?," Chouji blurted. "Wait, where? Do you need some company?" His inner-Chouji slapped him for how desperate that sounded.

"No, it's alright. I'll see you tomorrow, though, right?"

Chouji frowned as a thoughtful look shifted over his brow. "Alright... I guess..."

Teddy hastily packed his things into a small knapsack. "It's alright, _I'll _find _you. _Okay? But I've really got to go, so I'll see you later, Chouji!," he rambled as he dashed out the door, leaving a pouting Chouji.

_"What'd I do?,"_ he thought to himself.

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The door opened a crack and Teddy scurried into his two room apartment. To the left, an open door revealed the plain white bathroom fixtures that cast a dull reflection in the dim light. To the right was a window that gave a splendid view of the roads. The apartment was pretty high up, so there was always a fair amount of light coming in through the window despite the tall trees.

He shucked off his shoes and flung his bag onto the large chest off to the side. Skirting around the large shelf that served as a partition for his kitchen and living room, Teddy flopped onto his couch. Doing what he usually does when he needs to digest a thought, he stared at the ceiling, tracing the spiderweb pattern of cracks in the paint above his head. Slowly, he let his body relax and turned his thoughts to the events that unfolded today.

Until now, nobody had really taken notice of him. It wasn't a particularly bad existence, but that still didn't mean he was happy with it. Then again, it would probably spare him from the embarrassment that he just experienced.

Clenching his eyes, he cursed those butterflies that seemed to delight in his humiliation. What was it about Chouji that made him feel so... odd? He didn't consider himself an eloquent speaker, but when he was around Chouji, the nerves of his tongue liked to take a vacation.

Turning to face the window, Teddy let his eyes close and drifted to sleep.

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**I really have no idea where this story is going, but it's a start. Read and review if you'd like. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Back again! That Chemistry paper is done, so I guess that means... MORE FICTION!!! Alright, so here goes.**

_Disclaimer Disclaimer Disclaimer __Disclaimer Disclaimer Disclaimer __Disclaimer Disclaimer Disclaimer_

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Shikamaru watched his friend was trudging up the hill toward him. It had been roughly a month since Chouji had gone to the barbecue place with Teddy, and it seemed as though the pair had never parted since. Slowly their friendship waxed, and with it, Chouji's infatuation. Most of the time they would hang out or have the rare training session together, but the only real constant was the weekly barbecue.

Every week they would have barbecue at the same place, and probably even the same table, and every single time, Teddy would end up running off to do something. His excuses would vary and become more complex, but it seemed like he never wanted to stick around after they ate. However, the next morning, he'd always find a way to wake Chouji up bright and early.

Despite the short time they'd been friends, Teddy's actions made huge impacts on Chouji's emotions. Some days Chouji would practically break into song and dance while others seemed like he'd just taken a turn under an 18-wheeler; utterly depressed (A/N HORRIBLE JOKE WARNING). Not many people really cared enough about Chouji to notice, that is, other than Shikamaru. For some reason or another, he decided that today would be a good day to confront Chouji about his feelings.

Shikamaru wasn't one to feed around the bush when it came to these things, which may have been why Chouji had taken it really hard when he turned him down. It was the last straw for him after a rather recent rejection from Ino. Although he felt guilty about it, Shikamaru told himself that it wouldn't do Chouji any good to fake those feelings for him.

He hadn't made "nice-nice" with Teddy yet, and Shikamaru considered him for all intensive purposes, awaiting his approval. Shikamaru wasn't gay, but he admitted that Teddy was a good-looking guy. Chouji wasn't that shallow though, so ther had to be something more to the attraction than that. Reflecting on his few encounters with him, Shikamaru had to admit he was pleasant, but he really moved around too much for his own good. For a ninja, he was pretty clumsy.

Teddy wasn't the type of person he'd expect Chouji to fall for, but then again, he'd never really imagined Chouji with a guy before. Shikamaru couldn't really care less about Chouji's sexuality. They'd passed that hurdle with barely any event. However, Chouji's choice in boyfriends/girlfriends were an entirely different story.

"Hey, Chouji," Shikamaru greeted as he cracked an eye open. "Where've you been?" He really didn't need to ask, but it had become a customary greeting ever since Chouji had met Teddy.

"Nowhere," Chouji responded as he plopped down next to his best friend.

"You were with Teddy, though. Right?," Shikamaru asked. Another unnecessary question, but he'd learned to never assume.

"Yeah...," Chouji replied with a sigh. Perhaps, for Chouji, he could make an exception to that rule.

Allowing his other eye to ease open lazily, Shikamaru got a better look at his friend. Chouji sat up with a dreamy stare on his face, looking straight into the horizon. Without a word, his eyebrows twitched, bunching together and his until he noticed Shikamaru looking.

"What?," Chouji stammered, letting the emotion drop from his face. It took him a moment to realize that he looked really defensive. Relaxing his shoulders, he met Shikamaru's gaze full on.

"How was that date, Chouji?," Shikamaru sighed as he looked up to sky. "Did you guys kiss?"

"W-what?!," Chouji blurted incredulously. "I... You don't think that... I... He..."

"Cut the crap, Chouji," Shikamaru cut him off seriously. "I know that look." A twinge of the old feelings he had for Shikamaru flashed in the back of his mind. "I'm you're best friend. Just tell me already, and stop making this so difficult."

"I didn't kiss him!," Chouji snapped.

"Doesn't mean you didn't want to," Shikamaru commented. Chouji had his mouth open, about to reply, but Shikamaru cut him off again."Alright, how about the other question?"

Caught off guard, Chouji opened and closed his mouth a couple times. "Well... We went to get some barbecue..."

"Again?"

"Can you just wait a second while I tell you?," pouted Chouji.

"Fine." Shikamaru folded his hands behind his head and eased himself down to the plush grass.

"Alright, so we got some barbecue, and-"

"Did you pay?," interrupted Shikamaru again.

"No, he did. So as I was saying-"

"Did you _make _him pay?"

"Shikamaru!," Chouji pouted again.

"Fine. Continue," Shikamaru sighed.

Chouji explained the enitire situation, making sure to stress the fact that Teddy _offered _to pay and that he'd paid last week. Shikamaru sat by and thought behind closed eyes as Chouji's story neared a close.

"And he just ran off...," Chouji sighed. "Again." He was short of breath from the fervor of telling his story. Thinking of Teddy had him more than a bit frazzled.

"Hm... Alright," Shikamaru finally responded.

"Alright what?," Chouji asked expectantly.

"What? I asked you what happened, and you answered my question. That's what," Shikamaru said dryly.

"C'mon, Shikamaru! Tell me what you think! Did I do something wrong?," Chouji begged. After telling that story he wanted at least a comment. Dipping into his rather scanty store of persuasion tactics, Chouji put the puppy-dog eye look on.

Shikamaru, though seemingly unswayed, had to hand it to him. It was hard for someone as chinky as Chouji to open his eyes that wide; not to mention the fact that he had a pretty good puppy impression despite being, for lack of a better word, huge.

"Fine," Shikamaru caved. "Same-sex relations aren't my forte, but from what I hear, you were coming on a bit strong..." He could practically see Chouji's confidence fall another notch. "But what do I know?" Considering he was one of the smartest people in Konoha, that didn't help. "Well, didn't I tell you not to make this difficult?"

Chouji heaved a worried sigh and went back to moping.

"Cheer up, Chouji. Personally, he strikes me as a fruit." That comment earned him a sour look from Chouji. "What? He's a flaming homo. I didn't say there was anything wrong with that. I'm friends with _you_ aren't I?"

Chouji let that last comment slide, but couldn't help but be a little annoyed. "Shikamaru, I spilled my guts to you. The least you could do would be to just try and be a little understanding," Chouji snapped.

Shikamaru looked at Chouji incredulously, or at least a little harder than usual. He couldn't remember the last time Chouji raised his voice at him like that; it just wasn't normal. He was never particularly crazy about Teddy, but if that was how he was going to make Chouji act, he wasn't so sure he wanted Chouji hanging around him anymore.

"Well, just because you're drooling over him now doesn't mean I have to like him," Shikamaru pointed out. "Especially when he's making things so troublesome."

That pushed Chouji over the edge. He was a little irritated about Shikamaru's attitude toward the object of his affections and as of late he'd started becoming protective of Teddy. "He's not troublesome, Shika!"

"Well, why else would you be acting like this," Shikamaru snapped back. He sat himself up all the way to show Chouji how serious he was. "I don't mind you being in a relationship, Chouji, but just don't throw yourself at him like you're obviously getting ready to."

Chouji was puzzled by Shikamaru's sudden burst of emotion until something about the situation clicked. "Shikamaru," he started with fascination written on his face. "A-are you jealous?"

"Like I care," he spat as he laid back down onto the ground. That sarcastic tone spoke volumes to Chouji, who couldn't help but grin at his best friend.

"I think I'm gonna go home now," Chouji said with a triumphant smile to the boy lazing next to him.

"Mhm," Shikamaru grunted in an annoyed tone. "Whatever." He made a mental note to start keeping an eye Teddy a little more.

Chouji was too far down the hill to hear the suspicion in Shikamaru's voice. Undoubtedly, Teddy would be there the next day to wake him up, like always, so he made up his mind to go right to bed after he got home. It had been a while since he could say he'd had a crush on someone, but after being shot down by Shikamaru and Ino, he'd put a hold on those feelings altogether. Now though, he felt that familiar drumming heartbeat and the sweaty palms that could only mean one thing. Practically running home, Chouji felt like a child right before Christmas.

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"Chouji!"

Said ninja was currenty laying in bed, having a rather fitful dream. For a moment, it seemed as though he was still asleep, but above those swirling tattoos, one eye peeked open followed by a second.

"Hm?," he grumbled groggily as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Chouji! Wake up!," the voice urged again. As his vision focused, Chouji wondered whether or not he was still dreaming.

"No gong today?" The gong was just one of the more creative ways Teddy liked to wake Chouji up. It was probably the most efficient as well as the most fun.

However this time, Teddy was standing over Chouji attempting to shake him awake. Although some part of him was overjoyed to see Teddy again, the slightly saner part of his brain was telling Chouji to strangle him. All of the excitment from the earlier day was long gone.

"What're you doing here?"

Teddy smiled. After the first couple rude awakenings, Teddy realized he probably wouldn't stop asking the same questions. Chouji had to tell himself that he was just living up to their unspoken agreement. "You're sister let me in."

Chouji made a mental note to get back at her later. "Did you have to be so early though?" Chouji attempted to force himself back to sleep by burying his head into his pillow.

Plopping down next to Chouji, Teddy laid back onto the queen bed. "Well, I'm here now, right?"

Chouji grunted in response.

"C'mon, Chouji," Teddy whined. "Let's do something!" When Chouji didn't respond, Teddy shook the brunette again. "Chouji!"

"Go away," he mumbled into his pillow, obviously not swayed by Teddy's whining.

"Well, fine," Teddy sighed sarcastically as he shifted to lay his head on Chouji's back. "I'll just have to go see if Lee is doing anything today then."

"Alright, alright," Chouji surrendered. "I'm up." Throwing the covers off, Chouji hoisted himself up on unsteady feet. It was either the wind on his bare chest or the fact that Teddy was blushing that made him first realize that he was shirtless.

"Um... Chouji?," Teddy chuckled. He bowed his head respectfully as his ears reddened in empathetic embarrassment. He busied himself with fixing Chouji's bed to give him a chance to put some clothes on.

Without a word, Chouji scurried into his closet and pulled on some clothes. Emerging in his customary amour, he quickly tied on his forehead protector and squished the lion mane of a headdress on. He was sure to grab an unopened bag of chips to snack on while they walked.

Trying his hardest to just forget about moments earlier, he asked Teddy, "So mind explaining to me what happened yesterday?"

Teddy looked confused. "What did happen yesterday?" His eyebrow raised marginally.

"Why'd you run off like that? It seems like you never want to stick around after we eat," Chouji explained with a pained expression. He knew Ino was disgusted by his constant eating, but Teddy too? If it managed to chase both of them away, it must be a huge turn-off.

"Oh," Teddy said with relief. Chouji had him worried there for a second. "It's not that I don't like being with you after we eat, but it's just that after I get so full, I usually fall asleep, so it's best I just get home soon."

While reason dawned on Chouji, Teddy turned his mind to what they would be doing today.

"So what's in store for today?," Teddy asked.

Chouji, who was still caught up on how cuddly a sleepy, barbecue-filled Teddy would be, returned his attention at the question. "Um... You decide, Teddy, I'm still half-asleep," he lied, though the little image of Teddy sleeping in his mind wouldn't provide such a horrible dream.

In response, the boy scratched his chin and bit his bottom lip. Chouji smiled at how adorable he looked. "Um... I'm not really sure. We _could _train a little..." Chouji winced. He'd made up his mind to minimize on training if he could help it. It wasn't often that he allowed himself to sleep in. "We could probably find something _else _to do..."

"How about we just get something to eat first?," Chouji said as he turned to leave his room.

Teddy smiled and nodded. "I couldn't really eat anything if I wanted to get here early," he confessed. His growling stomach confirmed that for him. "We could eat at my place if you want."

Chouji felt his mother-hen instincts kicking in when he heard Teddy's stomach. "Well I suppose we could whip something up," he suggested. "I just don't feel like sticking around here for too long. My dad's always really awkward when I have friends over."

They were down the stairs and leaving when Chouji's dad walked in.

"Hello," he said politely to the familiar face. He'd noticed Teddy in and out of his house and had seen him with Chouji around town but never formally met him. "I'm Chouji's dad. You're a friend of his, I suppose?"

Teddy thought for a second. He hadn't known Chouji that long, but he thought of them as friends. It wasn't really his call, so he glanced at Chouji.

"Yeah, he's a friend," Chouji answered with a warm, assuring smile to Teddy. "Dad, this is Teddy." Chouza raised an eyebrow as Teddy bowed respectfully.

"It's very nice to meet you, sir," Teddy said smoothly, seemingly practiced in the art of parent-charming.

"Akimichi Chouza," he replied with a slight bow. A moment of awkward silence followed. "Yeah... It's always nice to see Chouji's friends..." Although impressed, his tone made it clear that he held suspicions about Teddy.

Realizing the tension in the room, Teddy took his leave. With another respectful bow to Chouza, he turned to Chouji and said, "I'll meet you outside." Chouji gazed at him as he left, eyes never leaving the boy as he pulled on a thick coat. With a dull "click", the door closed behind him.

"Nice kid," Chouza commented.

Chouji turned to face his dad as he was thrusted back to reality.

"Something I should know, Chouji?," he asked. "I've seen you two together alot lately..."

"Dad! He's a friend!," Chouji snapped. He didn't have to ask the meaning behind the question; he'd had ample time to figure it out after he had Shikamaru over so often. "He just came by to pick me up is all."

"If you say so," Chouza grunted. "But remember, people aren't food, Chouji. You can play around with them, but if you bite them, there's not guarantee they won't bite back." He chuckled deeply at his own little joke.

"Dad! Seriously, he's just a friend," Chouji huffed. "I don't see why you have to assume that I'm fooling around with every guy you see me with." His father had found out about where Chouji stood in terms of sexuality while he was still pining over Shikamaru. Chouza honestly loved and respected his son, but it didn't mean he wouldn't prefer him straight. "Why don't you get like this with girls?"

"Well...," Chouza started. He seemed to forget that being bisexual meant that his son wasn't _exclusively_ into guys. "I... um..."

To his relief, his son just walked out the door and shut it before he made him flounder for too long on that question.

"Sheesh," he mumbled to himself with a sigh. _"Chouji can be such a drama queen," _he thought as he went to go find the nearest couch.

* * *

**I have fun writing this, so please feel free to burst my bubble and flame at any time. But if you're feeling kind, just leave a review. See you next time! **


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I realize it's been a while since my last post, but I hope all of you are still reading... Thanks to those who reviewed, I really appreciate the feedback. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. **

* * *

They weren't even a couple blocks from Chouji's house when someone spotted them.

"Hey! Chouji!," a girl called from behind. The pair turned to see Ino waving with one of her "nice" smiles on. This was one of the only times Chouji had seen her without her belly showing. She wore her customary purple, but this time her clothes were much thicker and covered more.

Stopping to wait for her, they exchanged glances; Chouji's was a little apprehensive because... well, it's Ino, and Teddy was looking a little wary of her too. They hadn't had very many run-ins, but the impression that Teddy had gotten of her wasn't a very good one. Plus, Chouji didn't seem to enjoy her company much and he tended to trust his judgement on most things.

"Hey, Ino," Chouji answered politely with a semblance of a smile.

With a nod of acknowledgment towards Chouji, she turned to Teddy. "Hi, Teddy," she almost grunted. She lingered on that statement just a little longer than necessary, effectively creeping Teddy out.

"Um... Hi?"

Her eyes were undeniably on Teddy when she asked, "What're you guys up to?"

"Nothing," Chouji stepped in, sensing some malicious intent behind her curious facade. She gave him a rather hard glare, and the two just stood there for a while staring. Chouji tried his best to look nonchalant, obviously failing miserably against Ino's cast iron stare. Her eyes looked like they could bore through steel with the strength of her gaze alone. The spark in her eye was fiery and possesive; a remnant of the old, Sasuke-chasing Ino.

In an attempt to break the awkward silence, Teddy cleared his throat.

"Chouji, can I talk to you for a second?," Ino purred. She was laying on the politeness really thick, but it had about the same effect as laying fondant on a brick and calling it a cake.

Glancing apologetically to Teddy, Chouji grunted a rough, "sure", leaving Teddy to wander off a little to a bench on the side of the road. He could only watch while Ino dragged Chouji further down the street.

He sat there for a while, watching the two of them waving arms and listening to the dull sounds of their far-off conversation. In his concentration, he hardly noticed a huge dog approach him.

"Oh," Teddy mumbled absently while patting the dog on the head. "Hey, Akamaru." Glancing around a bit, he wondered where Kiba was. He didn't have to wait long before the familiar grey hoodie could be seen on the teen turning the corner.

"So this is what you wanted to show me, Akamaru?," Kiba asked with a glance to the boy sitting on the bench. "And hi, Teddy." The kind smile he gave said he hadn't totally forgotten his manners.

Smiling back in greeting, Teddy asked, "What were you guys looking for?"

Crouching next to Akamaru, Kiba was directly in front of Teddy. "Akamaru said he smelled trouble." Hearing the spat going on further down the road, he changed his mind. "Or maybe it was just Ino."

Teddy chuckled a bit at the cheap joke. "Looks like she's on the prowl again," Kiba sighed. "I was hoping that she'd give up on that after Sasuke left, but she did last a while."

"What do you mean?," Teddy mumbled. He knew about Ino and Sakura's Sasuke competition, but he was confused on some of the details.

Kiba heaved another sigh. "Well, she hasn't been crushing obsessively like that for a while, but I guess she's found someone else to drool over." He patted the huge dog on the head again. "Akamaru here has a nose for this sort of stuff." He shifted a little in his squatting position and sighed to himself. "Chouji always did have a thing for Ino..."

Teddy shot a worried glance over to Chouji. He hadn't really minded the way Ino was looking at him before then, but it was getting to him now. Maybe there was more to this Ino-Shika-Chou relationship than met the eye.

* * *

"What're you doing with him?," she hissed, all trace of niceness gone. They'd gotten beyond any chance of peaceful negotiations. "I saw him first!"

Under normal circumstances, Team 10, both on and off missions was in perfect harmony. For some reason or another, Teddy found a way to do the near impossible; mess with the team dynamic. Chouji hadn't let himself ponder on that for too long, but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that the Yamanaka and Akimichi ancestors would be looking on disapprovingly.

Chouji gaped open-mouthed at her. "What are you talking about?! We're just going to go hang out!" He was so busy being defensive that he forgot to remind her that _he _was actually the first to spot him.

"Like hell you are, fat boy," she snarled. "I know what you're up to, Chouji. I've seen the way you look at him." If Chouji wasn't shocked before, he sure was now. "Even Shikamaru noticed, and he's never wrong."

He decided that he couldn't argue with that logic; he'd always gone to Shikamaru for answers. However, he was unwilling to just let Ino get her way with Teddy, so Chouji puffed up his chest and stood his ground. "Well, what if I do like him? I'm not forcing him into anything, something you obviously wouldn't understand."

Ino was positively dumbstruck by the venom in Chouji's words. "Fine! I guess we'll just have to see who he chooses then!," she barked. The two of them were fuming by the time she stomped off.

Chouji took a cleansing breath as he walked back to Teddy. He saw Kiba crouching in front of him and felt his heart rate accelerating again. There was no doubt in anybody's mind about which team he batted for, making Chouji particularly concerned about the way he looked at Teddy. Trying to get Teddy alone was becoming a full-time job.

"Hello, Kiba," Chouji greeted politely. "Akamaru." He made especially sure to give a small bow to both of them for fear of offending the dog.

The scruffy teen turned and stood right between Chouji and Teddy. "Chouji," he nodded in greeting while Akamaru barked at his side.

Not wanting to be side-tracked any further, Chouji wrapped up the greetings quickly. "Teddy and I were just going to his place before Ino interrupted."

Teddy emerged from behind Kiba and raised an eyebrow. "What were you guys talking about?" Akamaru cocked his head to the side as if he was waiting for an answer too. If anything, Akamaru would've heard the entire conversation.

Feeling a blush creeping up on his cheeks, Chouji instinctively glanced to Teddy before looking away. "Um... nothing..."

Akamaru sniffed the air around him as if sniffing out a lie. Kibe seemed to sense something off too, so his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Jets of steamy breath raced from his nostrils as Kiba sniffed along with Akamaru. "Alright, Chouji," he growled almost threateningly. "If you say so."

Chouji's palms started sweat from the stress, and he could feel his heart picking up the pace yet again. "We'll see you later, Kiba," he blurted. He hooked a hand around Teddy's arm and pulled him away. "Good luck with... whatever it was you were doing!"

Kiba stood there for a second, half wondering what just happened and at the same time thinking about what he _was _doing.

Halfway down the block, Chouji glanced nervously at Teddy's sly grin. "What were you two talking about?," Chouji stammered. "I couldn't hear over Ino's shrieking."

"Well," Teddy started. "Maybe you would've noticed if you weren't so busy checking Kiba out." He huffed as he pulled away a stride-length from Chouji's side.

"What?!," Chouji coughed. Kiba? "You don't honestly think that I-"

"You were looking at him pretty hard, Chouji," Teddy pointed out. He scrunched his face together and pouted with his lips. "You looked sorta like this."

"Haha, Teddy," Chouji laughed dryly at the joke. His stomach growled as a reminder of their original plans. "I'm starving." Unconsciously, his hand reached to the unopened bag of chips at his side.

With a quick movement, Teddy slapped his hand and grabbed the chips. "You'll get this back after breakfast," he scolded. "Not that you'd really want any more, but you'd be halfway done with the chips now if I hadn't taken them."

Chouji blushed, but still wished that he had his chips. His pouting fell on deaf ears though, since it seemed from Teddy's smiling face that it would be ages before he'd notice the big baby ninja.

* * *

Teddy wasn't sure why, but he was embarrassed about having Chouji in his apartment. While waiting a second for Teddy to unlock the door, Chouji studied his surroundings. The apartment was in a run-down building on the poor side of town, but he hadn't really expected Teddy to be living off of his parents' savings in the Ritz. Although, it seemed to have seen better days, what with the elegant chandelier in the lobby as well as the crown molding that adorned most of the building.

"Here we are," Teddy said when the door gave a satisfied click. "It's not much, but it's mine," Teddy admitted. As soon as the door opened, a rush of warm air escaped, sending Chouji's hair on end in pleasure.

"No traps?," Chouji raised an eyebrow. He knew Teddy wasn't the most dexterous of ninjas, but it was almost suicide to leave your home unprotected.

"Timer, Chouji," he rapped a knuckle on the wall and a small door opened, revealing what looked like the face of a live egg-timer. With a swift movement to crack his knuckles, Teddy made a quick series of twists that stopped the subtle ticking.

Relief washed over Chouji as he studied the space more closely. The inside of his little apartment was clearly fixed up quite a bit in comparison to the hallways. The yellowing wallpaper was taken down and replaced by a coat of deep, royal blue paint. What furniture there was were a matching blue shade. Chouji peered into the sterile white bathroom, marveling at how it seemed to shine even with the light off. The only thing he could really criticize was the size of his kitchen.

"Teddy, do you cook much in here?," he asked.

"That's the idea," Teddy gave a sheepish smile. "Well, I do when I don't go out to eat, which is pretty much any time I'm not eating out with you."

Chouji grinned as he felt a small swell of pride in his chest. "You could come over to my place," Chouji pointed out. He was sure his parents wouldn't be totally opposed to the idea of cooking to feed another mouth. Glancing at Teddy, he knew that he wouldn't be able to out-eat even the smallest Akimichi in any case. Knowing his parents though, he knew they'd probably end up force-feeding the little guy.

"Well, I'd have to treat you here first, so just sit tight while I get something ready," Teddy ordered.

He wasn't one to refuse free food, but he felt awkward just sitting there while Teddy cooked. "Do you mind if I lend a hand? You know, to make myself useful," Chouji suggested. "I feel a little bad."

"Well, just grab a plate," Teddy said while he clicked on a burner. The smell of butter sizzling on the skillet was enough to send Chouji's mouth watering.

More quickly than Chouji would have thought possible for Teddy, he had a perfect golden-brown pancake flipped onto Chouji's plate. In the next couple minutes, at least a dozen were soon to follow.

"You think you can finish that?," asked Chouji skeptically. His eyebrow raised at the plate.

"Well," started Teddy. "I was going to have only two or three, but if you're not up to it, I guess I'll shoulder some of your load."

Chouji snorted. "I guess a better way to put it would have been, 'Is this enough?'" He gave Teddy a smug grin and patted his stomach. "It takes alot to satisfy an Akimichi."

"Well, one can try," Teddy grinned playfully as he set another pancake on the skillet. The naughty glint in Teddy's eyes made Chouji's arms erupt in goosebumps. "Let's make a bet on it."

"Fine," Chouji agreed. "If I finish... you have to come over to my house for dinner next week. You haven't gotten to see what it _really _takes to satisfy an Akimichi, let alone an entire family."

"And if I win... hm...," Teddy grumbled. "I'm not really sure what I want from you..." Chouji looked crest-fallen. "N-not like that, Chouji!," he blurted. The smug grin told Teddy that Chouji was enjoying his flustered state. "Well, if I win, then you cook me dinner here next week."

Being Chouji, he was all but invincible within the kitchen, so it wasn't really a decision. Plus, the chances of him losing were slim to none. "Teddy, I think you have yourself a bet," Chouji affirmed with an extended hand. Their handshake sealed the deal.

Teddy let that one pancake cook while he served Chouji. Ignoring the waves and gestures, Teddy sat him down at the table and put the steaming plate of flapjacks in front of him. Chouji nearly lost it when Teddy started pouring the syrup. It dripped painfully slow and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the globes of sugar streaming down the veritable tower of pancakes in front of him. That is, until Teddy wiped a bit off the side of the plate with his finger. Chouji watched the sweet digit retreat beyond his soft lips. Sitting there, Chouji stared and all the while wondered if there was ever more beautiful torture.

One bite had Chouji's head spinning. The light fluffy texture was complimented perfectly by the sweet, buttery taste of fresh pancake. Had pancakes always tasted this good? At the moment though, he wasn't sure which he was enjoying more, the pancake, or watching Teddy cook them. However, he buried his thoughts in his food and proceeded to demolish the stack.

Teddy, seeing that Chouji wasn't about to be stopped by a mere dozen pancakes, decided to try and raise the stakes. "Hm...," he deliberated. "In light of your gastronomic fortitude, what say we go for double or nothing?" Needless to say, Chouji's food-based pride wouldn't allow him to back down from the challenge.

"You okay, Chou?," Teddy asked with a laugh. "Is somebody getting a little full?"

Chouji was confused by the nickname for a moment, but soon regained his bearings. "Yeah," he cleared his throat and turned to his second helping of pancakes. "Fine, just fine." Sensing Teddy's worried glance, he shook a finger. "You'd better not count your chickens before they hatch, Teddy, or you may just be in for another weeks worth of dinner."

Sensing his defeat nearing with each bite Chouji devoured, Teddy tried a different tactic this time. "Oh! I nearly forgot," he yelped, feigning surprise. "What are pancakes without a little topping?" Whipping out a bowl of strawberries and a can of whipped cream, he set a huge pile of the toppings on top of Chouji's half-dozen remaining pancakes.

Although the whipped cream wouldn't really fill him so much, the veritable mountain of white was still enough to visually intimidate him. "Teddy...," he moaned.

"Oh, where are my manners?," Teddy squawked in mock surprise again. "Here, let me get that for you..."

Picking up a strawberry, he gently dislodged the tip of the whipped cream and delicately fed it into Chouji's open mouth.

In some sick part of Chouji's mind, he was actually enjoying the torture. If he wasn't careful, Teddy would turn him into a masochist.

Teddy looked back from Chouji to the plate and figured there was nothing more he could do there. "Sorry, Chouji, but I'm just going to go take a shower," he apologized. "Help yourself to anything else in the fridge if you want." Chouji gave him a sour look at the last comment.

Despite their little competition, Chouji's mouth went dry at that announcement. When his thoughts turned to Teddy in the shower, his heartbeat spiked and he was suddenly struck by a sense of urgency. If Teddy walked out half-naked, there was no way he was finishing those pancakes. The sound of hot water running sent Chouji rushing down into the mountain of whipped cream. He really hoped that Teddy was slow in the shower, because he didn't know how long it would take him to clean his plate this time.

* * *

"So Chouji," Teddy called from the bathroom. "Finished with those pancakes yet?"

He walked over to the kitchen, and both their jaws dropped; Teddy's beause Chouji _wasn't_ finished, and Chouji's because Teddy was already fully clothed.

"Um... no, I'm full," Chouji coughed, disappointment clear in his voice. After all that time practically inhaling food before Teddy came out, he at least expected a little more... skin. Plus, he had to come over and cook Teddy dinner. That wasn't a particularly _horrible _thing, but it wasn't worth the loss.

"You okay, Chou?," Teddy asked. "You look like you have a stomach ache."

"Never mind that," Chouji assured with a sigh. "Let's just get a move on."

He wasn't sure which was worse, the torture from before or the disappointment now. His shoulders sagged as he fixed his headdress and headed for the door.

_"Yep," _he thought when he realized he preferred the torture. _"Definitely a masochist." _

* * *

"So where are we headed again, Chouji?," Teddy asked. They'd been walking for a good twenty minutes, and Chouji had led them out of the village. Although he knew Chouji wouldn't try anything, Teddy couldn't help but get a little uneasy.

"I told you that you'd see when we got there," Chouji smirked as he parted a low branch for Teddy. When he let go, a light shower of leavesfell upon their heads. It really didn't matter whether he knew or not, but Chouji just liked keeping it a little surprise.

Out of nowhere, the trees disappeared, revealing the gentle incline of a hill. On top of it, Shikamaru was sprawled out lazily like he always was. He'd chosen the always dry patch of ground under a tree. Although he was utterly relaxed in the spot, it seemed he wasn't so lazy as to neglect to wear something warm. Today, he abandoned the mesh for an almost Lee-like black jumpsuit, minus the spandex and leg-warmers of course, on top of which he wore his customary vest.

"So this is where you guys always run off to," Teddy grinned. The Ino incedent wasn't totally erased from his memory, but he wasn't so upset that he couldn't enjoy spending time with Chouji. He looked at the other boy, and found himself being watched by gentle eyes. For a second, they stared at one another before they bashfully turned away. Unable to bear just standing there awkwardly any longer, Teddy began up the hill.

"Hey!," Chouji laughed as he plodded after him. The leaves and dead grass lay wet and hugged close to the ground so Teddy didn't see a patch of ice about halfway up the hill.

For a second he froze in shock from losing his footing so he'd already fallen too far for his reflexes to cushion his own impact. He gasped and braced himself for the fall, but it didn't come.

Chouji saw Teddy falling and rushed forward to hook his arms underneath his armpits just before he hit the ground.

Teddy hopped up to his feet shakily and turned around to Chouji. "Thank you," he blurted nervously as he dusted himself off. His shirt had nearly come off under his jacket; as if he hadn't been humiliated enough in front of Chouji. Looking at the other boy who was dusting himself off too, Teddy couldn't help but wonder if he looked as bad as horrible as he felt.

"No problem," Chouji assured Teddy as he began again up the hill. Unfortunately, he didn't see the ice either, so he fell forward onto Teddy.

He didn't consider being wedged between Chouji and the ground the worst position in the world, but it didn't stop his back from hurting. "Ouch," he whimpered as Chouji squirmed beteween his legs.

Chouji didn't really mind being on top of Teddy, but once he realized what a naughty position they were in, his cheeks immediately flushed.

"Will you two stop fooling around?," Shikamaru chided from the top. He was sitting up watching the two of them flop around on the ice.

The pair scurried up the rest of the way after the scolding and sat themselves down next to the tree. Chouji took a spot between Shikamaru and Teddy who was still a little flustered from what just happened.

Deciding the silence had gone on too long, Shikamaru broke in. "So, you two make out yet, or what?," he asked coolly. Naturally, he managed to upset both of them at once.

"Excuse me?," Teddy said indignantly.

"Shikamaru!," Chouji warned.

"What?" Shikamaru seemed as though he seriously didn't see what was wrong with what he just said. "I'm sorry, Teddy. I haven't gotten your side of the story, yet, so let me ask you; do you like Chouji?"

"Well, yeah, he's a nice guy..." Teddy started. He looked from Chouji to Shikamaru and back again while his face made an almost pained expression.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "I think you know what I mean by 'like', Teddy."

"Shikamaru, that's not fair!," Chouji scolded. "You don't just ask someone that!" Usually, he never raised his voice to anyone, let alone Shikamaru, but he was pushing buttons that really didn't need to be pushed.

"It's a legitimate question, Chouji," Shikamaru countered. "Besides, I don't see what's wrong with him liking you. That is, if he _does _like you." Obviously, Shikamaru had gotten tired of waiting for Chouji to get this talk over with on his own, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. "So do you?"

"I... um...," Teddy stammered as he begged Chouji with his eyes.

"Shikamaru, stop," Chouji growled. "Can you just drop it?"

"Well, _you_ like him, don't you?," Shikamaru argued as he turned to Chouji.

Chouji, who'd been adamantly defensive until then went pale. "Wh-what?"

"C'mon, Chouji. Just say it and get it over with," Shikamaru goaded. "Do you like him?"

With a nervous glance at Teddy, Chouji aimed a faltering glare at Shikamaru. "Wh-what are you talking about, Shikamaru? Don't be ridiculous!" As soon as it left his lips though, Chouji realized how that sounded.

"Ch-Chouji?," Teddy asked nervously. He'd flushed red when the conversation started, but it seemed as though his blood ran cold now after hearing what Chouji just said.

Chouji couldn't bear to look at Teddy. "_What do I say to him?_," Chouji thought frantically. He shot a nervous glance to Shikamaru and was overcome by embarrassment.

Shikamaru knew it wasn't his place to spill the beans, but he it was hard to just let those two flounder about like toddlers. "_When will you grow up, Chouji?,_" he thought to himself.

"I'm just gonna go, Chouji," Teddy grumbled with evident pain on his face. "I'll see you later- if I'm not intruding, of course."

Teddy got up to leave, and Chouji tried to take back what he just said after he found his voice. "Wait, Teddy, that's not what I mean," he babbled, but it was already too late; Teddy had bounded down the hill and disappeared into the snow-laden trees.

"Great going, Shikamaru," Chouji spat. "I hope you're happy. You just ruined my chances with probably the first person I've liked since... you know..." Shikamaru was silent as Chouji followed Teddy to the village.

Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the gray sky. He knew Chouj was angry now, but it was just a little bump in the road compared to his long-term happiness. If anything, it would make things much less stressful for Chouji now, since he had something to work with. Sometimes, you just needed to shake up the situation to find the easiest solution, kind of like an etch a sketch.

_"You'll thank me after the make-up sex"_, Shikamaru thought dryly as he willed his mind to relax.

* * *

**Alright, flame if you want. I'm just getting this chapter out since I felt bad for leaving it idle so long. I'll be back with more soon, but in the meantime go read something else!! XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, so this chapter was extended just a tad from my original whole work. I added in most of it just now for the sake of length, and I think it complemented the plot nicely. Even so, it didn't turn out very long, but next chapter will be a little more exciting. Well, without further ado, here we go!  


* * *

**

Teddy couldn't bear to stay there any longer. He knew just where that conversation was going. Although he hadn't actually heard what Chouji had to say, he'd rather live in blissful ignorance than spiral into the harsh reality that Chouji had rejected him. It wouldn't be complete rejection if he just moved on to Ino anyways.

Chouji hadn't said he _didn't_ like him, but Teddy wouldn't let himself hope. He knew just what was supposed to happen if it was all an attempt at sadistic humor. Chouji and Shikamaru would be laughing it up on their little hill while Teddy went home and bawled his eyes out like a little girl. Ino would be up there too, probably laughing along with them. Teddy assured himself that that was _not _happening.

Even when the tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, he told himself that he was above that. The first couple tears couldn't even change his mind. Only when he was sobbing in front of his door did he actually admit to himself that he was genuinely hurt.

_"How can this be heartbreak if Chouji hasn't even said anything yet?,"_ he thought to himself. His cheek twitched as he physically slapped himself for being so stupid. Although the tears had stopped falling, Teddy felt that familiar knot in his stomach. If this is what he gets from two days of being noticed, he had to say that he was by far better of invisible.

Slipping back into his apartment, he ripped the small hinge behind the door to disarm the traps before running to the bed and curling up with a pillow clutched tightly against his chest. Slowly but surely his breathing slowed and began to melt into a slow beat as the mindless rhythmic pulse of sleep overtook him.

* * *

"Chouji, I think we need to talk."

Chouza pulled up a chair next to his son who was playing with his rice porridge like a discontented toddler; very uncharacteristic for an Akimichi. "What's wrong, son?"

"Dad, it's nothi-"

"Now don't tell me it's nothing," Chouza interrupted. "Because it's obviously something."

Chouji couldn't find anything to say to that, so he just sat there in silence. He even stopped fiddling with the bits of rice in his porridge.

"Is it Teddy?," Chouza finally asked.

"Dad, how did-"

"I'm your father, Chouji," he explained. "I can tell when there's something wrong. Plus, I'm not blind. I could see how much you liked him."

Chouji was thoughful for a second. "Not like it matters now," he sighed, finally venting his story.

"Chouji," Chouza said seriously. "You and I both know that you're kind and caring. I think that anyone who can overlook that doesn't deserve you."

Chouji snorted. "Well, I don't think they can see that kind and caring behind this." He gently rubbed his armor plated belly sheepishly. His father never approved of him complaining about his weight, and he'd usually kept quiet about it in his youth. Even now, old habits die hard.

"You know that's not true, Chouji," his father told him. "Not everyone looks at us that way." When Chouza said, "us" the point really hit home. "Chouji, I'm sure you two will be fine."

"How can you say that, Dad?," Chouji snapped. "I don't even know why I'm still moping over this. It's not like anything's happening between us anymore."

"Now Chouji," Chouza scolded gently. "You and I both know that Teddy wouldn't totally agree with that."

Chouji couldn't find anything to say to that. The confused look on his face conveyed the unspoken question though.

"I saw the way he looked at you too, Chouji," Chouza confessed. "I could see that you two were honestly happy together, and it just doesn't make sense that he could drop that sort of feeling like that." He snapped his fingers and held his hand in the air before fiddling with the mane of his headdress. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll make things right, Chouji."

When his dad stood up, Chouji couldn't help but jump up and catch him in a back-breaking hug. "Thanks, Dad," he mumbled into his father's chest.

Chouza was a little embarrassed at first, but then finally hugged back. He could feel the tension dissolve in the room as he patted his son on the head.

* * *

"Shikamaru!," Chouji panted as he jogged over to his friend. He'd nearly sprinted across town three times just to find his friend. In all of his flustered confusion, he never thought to check the most obvious place; the hill. "Have you seen Teddy?"

Shikamaru just stood there gaping at him with a bag of chips in his hand. Since Chouji hadn't been there for nearly a week, Shikamaru had began to crave chips. "This _again_, Chouji?!," Shikamaru groaned.

"I know what you're thinking, but-" Chouji thought for a second. There was no way in hell he could know _all _of what was going on his friend's mind. "I mean, I know _part _of what you're thinking, but it's not... really... what you think?"

"Chouji!," Shikamaru scolded. "You just confused yourself. Just relax, you're making this entire thing more troublesome than it needs to be." Shikamaru started in a slow walk towards a building before jumping nimbly up its side. Chouji recognized the place immediately. It was where they'd watched the clouds together for the very first time.

Chouji followed Shikamaru up to find him sprawled out against the steel gerder support that they used as a bench as children. "So you've finally figured it out, huh?"

"Figured what out?," Chouji asked. He thought he had this all down pat, but he always found himself second-guessing around Shikamaru.

"You and I both know that you still like Teddy," Shikamaru explained. "I was just waiting for you to get over your whole self-pity thing and sort this whole mess out yourself."

Chouji blushed. "Well, I had a little help from my dad..."

"Same difference," Shikamaru sighed. "I want you to know though, that whatever you do, I'll back you up, Chouji."

The way Shikamaru said that shocked Chouji. He'd heard that tone only once or twice before, but he knew it perfectly well. The confidence and strength in Shikamaru's voice meant that it was one of those rare and serious emotional moments. "Shika, you... I don't know what to say," Chouji stammered. His words were caught up in his infinite gratitude.

"Then don't say anything. I don't want to know what you and Teddy do together, and frankly, I think it should only be between the two of you, but I want you to know that I'm not going to hold you back in that relationship," Shikamaru said with a hard glare towards the skies. It was enough that he was being serious about this; you couldn't ask him to look Chouji in the eye too.

"Does that mean I have your blessing, Shikamaru?," Chouji asked tentatively.

"I... I guess it does."

Chouji couldn't resist; he scooped Shikamaru up into a big bear-hug. There was nothing but elation and the warmth of friendly love in the embrace, but it felt as good as any Chouji ever had.

"Ch-Chouji," Shikamaru grunted. "You might break my ribs..."

Placing his friend down gently, Chouji blushed. "S-sorry, Shika..."

Shikamaru rolled his shoulder and cracked a loose joint, but didn't look any worse for wear.

"So you never answered my question..." Chouji reminded with a little more enthusiasm. He couldn't wait to break the great news to Teddy after he patched up this mess. Maybe this is where things would start to turn around.

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his noes and inhaled sharply through his nostrils. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that..." Shikamaru groaned. Chouji's good mood seemed as though it was never meant to last.

"Why? What happened?!," Chouji blurted. His mind flicked through all of the possibilites for Shikamaru's aversion to the subject. Illness, injury, maybe hospitalization. Whatever it was, it had to be unpleasant.

"Well... he sorta left on a mission this morning. I saw him at the gates with at least a week's worth of provisions," Shikamaru sighed.

Chouji's heart sank at the announcement. Not only would Teddy be gone almost indefinitely, he would also be in danger of loss of life and/or limb; neither of which pleased Chouji in the least. "When's he expected back?"

"It's a B-ranked mission, so anytime from a couple days to... a month or two?," Shikamaru confessed.

When he sensed his friend's pain, Shikamaru couldn't help but have a pang of sympathetic distress too. "Chip?," Shikamaru offered with a gentle rustle of the bag. The sound of more ruffling and a crisp crunch as Chouji took his first bite set Shikamaru's mind at ease.

As long as Teddy came back soon, Shikamaru knew that his friend would be okay.

* * *

"Nice going Chouji!," Ino sneered from behind him. Chouji didn't even bother looking up from the empty bag of chips in his hand. "Could you _be _any more stuck up? I bet you haven't even _tried _to talk to Teddy since he got back."

"_Yes, I have,_" thought Chouji. It hadn't exactly been a walk in the park getting to Teddy. By his reckoning, Chouji figured that he had inexplicably bad timing or Teddy was avoiding him. Teddy had finally come back after two agonizing weeks, but he'd spent another week in Konoha's medical center. When Chouji found out, he naturally went to visit, but Teddy had already checked out. Since then, he'd been trying frantically to spot Teddy in crowds, tracking him down through other people, or just combing the city streets; none of which seemed to yield any results. Chouji had even gone to visit Teddy's apartment every day. There would never be any answer, but he could've sworn he heard a creak in the floorboards once or twice.

Though Chouji had gotten the entire situation down in his mind, he had to admit through some flawed logic, Ino had a point. All she knew was that he still hadn't been able to talk to Teddy, so it was not so far-fetched to believe that _he _was the one doing the avoiding. Things would've gone by unnoticed but, as usual, Ino had to get involved in things and rumors spread. If everything he heard was true, Teddy was probably stockpiling explosive tags right now and gathering a small squad of ninja to take down the Hokage. Chouji sighed as he continued to ponder on the reality of the situation.

When it boiled down to it, all of this was really his fault that Teddy was like that. If he could've just owned up to his feelings right then and there on the hill, none of this mess would've happened. The only thing that saved Shikamaru from the blame was the intense guilt Chouji felt for his part in the mishap.

"Hello!," Ino shrieked. "Are you going to fix this or just let Teddy stay all depressed like this?"

Chouji looked over and saw her gesturing to a sad figure plodding across the street. Teddy was really a pitiful sight right now; disheveled hair, mis-matched clothes, hunched shoulders, and he had to be at least a few pounds skinnier.

"Plus, I don't know where you've been, but Kiba seems to be warming up to him pretty nicely too," Ino warned.

"Good," Chouji finally spoke up. "Better than letting Teddy waste him time on a jerk like me..."

"When will you get over yourself, Chouji?," Ino barked. Coming from her, that was a real insult. "I know what happened, and you could've just fixed this entire thing with a 'sorry' and kissed to made up, but you just left it alone, and now look at him! You and I both know how stubborn Teddy is; once he gets an idea in his head, he can fool himself into thinking anything!" Chouji knew that was true. He had to spend the greater part of an afternoon trying to convince Teddy that cucumbers didn't grow on trees.

Ino was obviously right. He had to do something about this. "Fix him!," she yelled as she pointed in his direction.

"H-how?!," Chouji blurted, suddenly alert. "I don't even think he'll talk to me anymore, let alone let me 'fix' him!"

"I don't know, and I don't care, but if I have to look at him moping any longer I'm going to get wrinkles!," she hissed. "Go!"

She gave him a firm shove which shouldn't've sent him as far as it did. He staggered to get his balance, and then started toward Teddy. "Kami, help me," he mumbled as he strode over to him.

When Chouji was less than a couple yards away, Kiba swooped in and took Teddy's side. "Hey, Teddy," Kiba greeted. "Whatcha up to?"

Chouji fell back to listen in secrecy. He jumped easily onto a nearby roof where he watched their conversation unfold. "Not much," Teddy sighed. His voice cracked a bit from the weight of his sorrow. "I don't think I even remember why I'm walking around."

"Well, you could come hang out with me and Akamaru," Kiba suggested. Akamaru whined to Teddy, pleading him to accept.

"I... I dunno," Teddy stammered. "I think I should probably just go home..."

"Aw, c'mon, Teddy!," Kiba begged. "Why not come over, we could grab a bite to eat at that barbecue place you like."

Chouji's blood boiled at the thought of Kiba in _his _seat at _their _table. He could hardly control himself enough to keep his kunai in his pack.

"...No, I don't think so Kiba. Maybe some other time," Teddy replied. Chouij's heart sang at the rejection.

"C'mon, Teddy," Kiba begged a little harder. "When are you going to get over Chouji? When he was the last time he even talked to you? I don't think he's going to come running back anytime soon." Chouji would beg to differ.

"...Kiba, I'm going home," Teddy stated with a hint of finality. Chouji could clearly see that Teddy wasn't in the mood to be messed with, so he hoped for Kiba's sake that he'd just let it go.

"Teddy, just because Chouji didn't want you doesn't mean I don't," Kiba pressed, stepping in Teddy's path. "If he just opened his eyes, he would see what a wonderful person you are."

"Kiba, I'm serious," Teddy growled. "Just drop it."

Kiba's brow furrowed as he glared at Teddy. "No, I don't think I will," Kiba stated. "What does he have that I don't?" Akamaru whined and set his ears back in clear disapproval. Kiba seemed to be ignoring his friends pleas to stop though, since he didn't even bat an eyelash at the dog's barking.

"He knows when to back off!," Teddy hollered. "Will you just let it go Kiba?!" Teddy looked ready to tear his head off, and Chouji could see from where he stood that Teddy's hands were balled up into fists. Chouji also noticed his shoulders shaking. As he studied his face, he could swear he saw the twinkle of tears getting ready to fall.

"Not until you give me a straight answer!," Kiba bellowed. It didn't seem to have much effect on Teddy in his state, so it wasn't really a surprise when Teddy shoved past Kiba and started away.

"Where are you going?," Kiba growled as he grabbed Teddy's wrist and pulled him back roughly.

"Let go, Kiba!," Teddy warned. The warning glint in his eyes didn't phase Kiba though, and he glared harder when Kiba didn't budge. "I said: Let go." Realizing the situation wasn't going anywhere, Teddy broke Kiba's hold and tried to bolt away, but was stopped when Kiba shoved him into the wall of a building.

Chouji couldn't bear to just sit by and watch anymore. His blood was beyond boiling now and he was shaking with anger from head to toe. If anything happened to Teddy, Kiba would pay dearly.

He found the two of them struggling against the building, and he barreled past Akamaru to Kiba in one stride. Taking Kiba roughly by the sweatshirt, he hurled him clear across the street.

"Kiba, don't _ever_ touch Teddy again. Do you understand?" Chouji glowered warningly as he set himself between the two. Pushing Kiba from his mind, he remembered Teddy. "Teddy, are you... Teddy?"

Teddy was already down the block and around the corner before Chouji could even start to follow. There was no way he was going to give up this chance to talk to Teddy though, so he sprinted behind him as he followed to his apartment.

* * *

**I really liked writing that bit with Chouza and Chouji. When I found out Chouza dies, I was actually really sad. Anyways, hope you liked that chapter and be sure to read the next one! Reviews are greatly appreciated. Flames are discouraged, but constructive criticism is welcomed.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**I haven't posted in a while, so I figured I'd put this up since I had it ready. Yep, that's pretty much it.

* * *

**

Teddy really looked like he wanted nothing more than to be left alone. However, Chouji seemed to have trouble wrapping his mind around that notion. "Teddy!," he exclaimed as he ran over to him. He was out of breath from the chase, but he managed to keep up. It was a marvel that someone so big could move that fast.

"Look, Teddy," Chouji crooned as he turned him with a gentle hand. "What I said before, I didn't mean." Teddy didn't react right away to Chouji's confession. "I know we've only known each other for a little while now, and I really can't expect much from you."

With the back of a wrapped hand, Chouji wiped the drying tears from Teddy's cheeks. "I'm not sure how to really put this, Teddy," Chouji whispered gently as he pulled Teddy closer. His face relaxed into a slight smile as Teddy complied.

Teddy was just so caught up in his thoughts about what just happened that he really didn't have enough of his brain to refuse.

"Can we go inside?" Chouji took nervous glances around.

"Alright," Teddy mumbled, afraid he would choke on his words. Although he wasn't necessarily angry at Chouji, Teddy was still upset over what happened on the hill.

He was having full-blown teen-hormone-itis. The sweaty palms, butterflies, and on top of that, he was getting unbearably hot; the whole deal.

"Look, Teddy," Chouji started while shutting the thick door. "I know things haven't gone so smoothly, but I really think we need to talk."

"What's there to talk about?," Teddy asked bitterly. He seemed to have reigned in his thoughts when they stepped into the apartment. "I think we've both made it clear where we stand."

"That's just the thing, Teddy," Chouji answered. "I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding..."

"Misunderstanding? I doubt it. That would be just a little '_ridiculous_' don't you think?," Teddy snapped. Chouji knew he had every reason to be sore, but the bite in his words was enough to bring tears pricking at his eyes.

"Teddy, I know it's not really fair of me to ask, but can you please forgive me?," he pleaded. "I really, sincerely want to make things up to you." With a bold hand, he stroked Teddy's. "I just can't stand seeing you hurt like this..."

"Who are you kidding, Chouji?," Teddy blurted. "Because it sure isn't me! Look, I know you feel bad and all, and I can appreciate you feeling guilty, but why can't you just let this drop? I really liked you, Chouji, and I just don't know if I can trust you anymore."

Chouji could clearly hear the hurt in Teddy's voice and the knowledge that he'd caused it pained him. It was almost comparable to the ripping, stabbing sensation of a kunai to the heart.

"First you make me think that you like me, and I really did like you back...," Teddy admitted. Chouji sucked in a breath in surprise at his confession. "But then... Then you say that the very idea of liking me is 'ridiculous.'"

The way Teddy put it sent Chouji's blood boiling again. Not only was it unfair, but he just wouldn't let him explain.

"Now you come running in like I'm some damsel in distress with Kiba there. What is it you really want, Chouji? Can't you just let me rot here alone? Do you just _need _to kick me when I'm down?"

"Teddy, can you just listen to me for one second?!," Chouji broke in. "You really want to know what I want?!"

"What?!," Teddy yelled back. There was no confusion here. The anger and frustration was spelled clearly on his face.

"I want you, Teddy!," Chouji growled.

He was about to heave a big sigh, but it was stopped mid-way out of his throat as Teddy sealed his lips. He was pushed back onto the wall by the force of the kiss, but turned the situation around by whirling Teddy to the wall instead.

That was the hottest thing Chouji had ever experienced in his life. It was as if he was pouring himself into Teddy and being filled by Teddy at the same time. The heat of his anger was intensified as it transformed into something even hotter. He felt it burning white hot in the core of his stomach and was surprised Teddy couldn't feel it as their bodies writhed against one another.

Teddy's eyes fluttered from lack of oxygen and he collapsed into Chouji's arms. As the kiss cooled down, so did Chouji. On the other end of that embrace, Teddy was seeing stars. Having Teddy in his arms felt so right, and yet so precarious; he felt as if the slightest motion would send the moment billowing away like a bunch of smoke in the wind.

When Teddy started to pull away, Chouji instinctively held him closer for a moment. However, he eventually let Teddy slide away. With an audible creak, he plopped down onto the small love-seat on the side across from his bedroom door.

"Teddy?," Chouji approached nervously and sat down next to him. He wasn't really sure what to say, but he wasn't about to just let Teddy go after that little episode.

"I'm sorry," Teddy mumbled. "I'm just...Did you...?" Teddy turned and tried to find the right words to say. "I'm really sorry, Chouji..."

"Shh," Chouji hushed as he cupped the side of Teddy's jaw. He tried his hardest to seem cool and collected, but seduction wasn't his forte. His unsteady hands were lost in unfamiliar territory as they fondled with the soft skin of Teddy's neck and chin.

Despite that fact, Teddy was being driven mad by the chaste, light touches. Every few seconds, the friction between his skin and the rough hand-wrap would send a shock through his spine making his whole body shudder.

Watching Teddy squirm was getting Chouji a little excited. He hummed nervously as he attempted to move a little faster. With drooping eyelids, Chouji leaned his face in closer. His breath was ragged as he licked his lips over his slightly open mouth.

Teddy managed to pull away from the incoming kiss. "Chouji, what about Ino?"

The question threw him. "What _about_ Ino?," he asked. First they were kissing and then they were talking about his former crush. It seemed totally out of the blue.

"I mean, I heard about how much you liked her, and with what happened earlier today..."

Realization dawned on Chouji's face. "Why? What do you think happened today?," he chuckled.

"Well, I don't know," Teddy snapped. "You just dodged the question when we asked, so I guess I just assumed...."

Chouji couldn't help but laugh at Teddy's facial expression. It was a mix of confusion and frustration; extremely adorable on Teddy. "She was after _you_, Teddy, not me," he laughed. "She and Shikamaru are the reason why I swore off relationships anyways."

The relief on Teddy's face suddenly turned to shame. "Oh...," he mumbled apologetically. "Well, I'm sorry, Chouji. I had no idea-"

"But you might just be the reason I break that vow," Chouji interrupted.

Taking his chance while Teddy was distracted, Chouji grabbed the back of his neck and closed in on his mouth, gnashing their lips together.

Chouji pulled a surprised sound from Teddy before he melted into the kiss. For the longest time, they just sat there, rubbing arms and puckering lips before Teddy pulled away again.

"Chouji, you're really sure?," he asked again. However many times he went over the situation in his head, it didn't seem to add up; all of it was too good to be true.

"Teddy," Chouji told him in a serious tone. "I am sure, and if you ask me that again, I might just have to do something naughty." His inner-Chouji was scolding him vehemently, but it seemed like an appropriate response. Besides, Teddy turned the cutest shade of pink, so it couldn't be all bad. However, he could see that Teddy wasn't convinced still.

"Look," Chouji sighed as he traced finger across Teddy's collarbone. "You're cute." Chouji kissed Teddy's neck. "Funny." Teddy stifled a giggle as Chouji's nose tickled the bottom of his chin. "And, I have to say, you're probably the tastiest person I've ever met." He couldn't help but smile as his tongue flicked against Teddy's Adam's apple.

"Well," encouraged Teddy with a slight hitch in his voice. "_Are_ you sure?"

With astonishment in his eyes, Chouji saw Teddy's peek open slowly. The two of them were both insanely embarrassed, but neither were willing to move. Chouji was unsure whether he should push Teddy off or try and make a move; he obviously knew which he _wanted _to do, but that wasn't to say that it was necessarily right.

Finally, he decided to just throw caution to the wind and take a chance. Taking the nape of Teddy's neck in his hand, Chouji brought them so achingly close without actually touching. Somewhere, deep inside Chouji, the spark of sexual energy reignited, willing him to get close the distance between himself and Teddy.

"I warned you," he growled as their lips met again. This time though, Chouji pushed Teddy onto his back, and pressed his tongue frimly against the soft, moist lips of the boy under him. When they parted, Chouji could hardly keep himself from biting down on the supple tissue of Teddy's tongue. Beyond the soft, tentative approach, Chouji plunged his tongue deep into Teddy's mouth, seeking to gain further entrance into Teddy.

The hunger to feel- to know Teddy inside and out- almost overcame him. Unlike the flights of fancy he had with various other people in the village, Chouji wasn't looking for the trite kiss or gentle embrace; he wanted to- no, needed to get down to the nitty-gritty. Sacrificing his spot he'd taken by wedging himself between Teddy's legs, Chouji stood and pulled Teddy up with him. Without letting his mouth leave Teddy, Chouji trailed his mouth down his jawline and above the pulsating vein in his neck.

Picking Teddy up, Chouji pushed the two of them up against the wall. Being pinned up against the wall with this guy attacking his neck had Teddy squirming in ecstasy. He'd only dreamed of what the touch of another man had felt like, but it far surpassed any fantasy he could've conjured in dreams or consciousness. Chouji's hot breath washing over the junction between his neck and shoulder sent his skin crawling with pleasure. His mind begged for more, but his body writhed to be free.

Chouji wasn't about to let him get away though, so he pulled both Teddy's wrists above his head and held them there with one hand. With the other, he rubbed circles around his hips and stomach before hooking it under Teddy's leg.

Teddy gasped as the heat from their crotches met and rubbed together, but was soon cut off by Chouji's mouth sealing over his own. His back arched at the sudden shock, and he suddenly found his hands free. Instinctively, his legs braced Chouji like they would a tree, drawing them even closer. He almost whined when they pulled away from the wall, but was interrupted when Chouji flung him onto the bed.

"Teddy," Chouji whispered as he crawled up the bed to his face. Teddy, who was caught off guard, had the most bewildered look on his face. "You know, you're cute when you're confused." He couldn't resist a laugh and pinched Teddy's cheek gently.

Teddy laid there under Chouji and watched the larger boy. Chouji was panting from his efforts, but was far from done with Teddy. Grabbing hold of Teddy's sides, he ground their hips together experimentally. Right then, the spike Chouji's sex-drive was so intense that when he descended upon Teddy again, he was reduced to grunting and panting.

Teddy's back arched into the friction, and his hands clamped desperately against Chouji's shirt. He'd never before felt anything so intensely pleasurable, but it was almost like torture for his body that longed to be with Chouji's. Every time Chouji rocked his hips, Teddy would pull himself a little closer. However, his hands were taken away again when Chouji pinned his wrists against the bed.

Movingly painfully slow, Chouji traveled from Teddy's chin up to the side of Teddy's neck. Stopping longingly behind Teddy's ear, Chouji let his hot breath billow over the nape of Teddy's neck.

With Chouji still working his hips further down, Teddy could hardly find moment to breath between the chills of pleasure; his senses were being assaulted from both ends.

Clutching desperately to sheets, Teddy shivered as Chouji's invaded his clothing. Searching fingers hooked under his robe, undoing knots and parting fabric in a matter of seconds. Before he knew it, Teddy was stripped down to his two-buttoned undershirt.

Chouji met little resistance from the other clothes, but the undershirt was starting to frustrate him. His fingers fumbled with the small buttons and he whined a little as the fabric refused to give way. Usually, the garment was a breeze to remove, sliding off easily, but Teddy's heaving breath and sweat-slicked skin made it almost impossible. Chouji felt a thrill travel through his lower back when he realized that there was only a thin barrier between him and Teddy's bare flesh. Taking a chance, he decided to rip the shirt off. If anything, he'd just buy Teddy a new shirt later.

Teddy gasped underneath Chouji again, but this time from the sudden rush of chilly air to his chest. With Chouji on top of him and his heart beating like a metronome on steriods, he wasn't cold, but the was rolling off of him so intensely that the immediate area around him was a few degrees warmer than the rest of the room.

Leaving Teddy for the first time since they'd started, he peeled his armor and mesh off. After removing his headdress, his hands passed self-consciously over his naked body when he turned to Teddy. Chouji found the comparison astounding. Teddy wasn't the thinnest person he'd ever seen, but what mass he did have was made up of almost all muscle. He had just enough fat on him though to round off the hard edges.

Glancing nervously to a mirror on the wall, Chouji couldn't help but feel inadequate in comparison. He had his own fair share of muscle around the arms and chest, but when you traveled any further south, you'd meet chubby a round belly. He'd always been big around there, but besides that little glimpse earlier that day, he'd never had this level of exposure in front of someone not in his immediate family.

"You okay, Chouji?," Teddy smiled as he propped his head up with his elbow. His white teeth almost seemed to sparkle as the dimming light filtered in through the window. He sat up and flicked a lock of hair out of his way as he waited for Chouji. Seeing that the situation had lost all of its momentum, Teddy stood up and grabbed Chouji by the hand.

Without a word, Chouji looked back to Teddy and cupped his free hand around his cheek (face cheek). Taking his time, he lowered his face to Teddy's and took his lips in his. His heart rate spiked again as the adrenaline filled his veins. A moment later, he broke the kiss to keep his head from spinning.

"Fine," Chouji responded with a smile as he watched Teddy; he'd obviously forgotten the question by the look on his face, but the confusion only made him seem cuter. "Better than fine, actually."

Not wanting the moment to end, Chouji locked lips with Teddy again and lowered him onto the bed. As soon as they hit the sheets, Chouji went to work on Teddy again. They were getting right into a rhythm before Chouji remembered something. He knew he'd never get away if he didn't act now, so reluctantly, he pulled away from a dissatisfied Teddy.

Teddy was halfway to protesting while he watched Chouji run to the door and lock it. Obviously, Chouji wasn't letting him go anytime too soon.

* * *

The next day, around the same time as before, Shikamaru was, as usual, doing nothing. He laid on his patch of dry ground sheltered by their tree. In the thin layer of snow, the slight crunch of feet and the occasional twig snap alerted him to someone approaching. When the footsteps finally stopped a couple feet from him, Shikamaru mustered the energy to crack open an eyelid.

"Chouji?," he murmured with a slight stirring of interest.

When Chouji took another step closer, Shikamaru could see that he was blushing furiously. He had his hands behind his back and he hung his head in embarrassment.

"Chouji, you didn't..." Shikamaru started, but he didn't need to go any further. Chouji just stood there and nodded.

He'd known that this time was coming, but he hadn't anticipated that it would come so soon. "So what're you doing now, Chouji?"

Kicking at the ground bashfully, Chouji said, "Waiting."

"For...?"

"Um..." Chouji was growing so red that it began to be difficult to distinguish his skin from his armor.

"Why?"

Chouji wasn't really sure what Shikamaru meant, but he had a general idea. Although, experience showed that assumptions were never really a great idea, especially with Shikamaru.

"Why what?"

Shikamaru tilted his head up to get a view of a particularly wispy cloud. "Why Teddy?"

Chouji smiled in understanding to the figure of restrained emotion that hung on Shikamaru's frame. "Well, he can turn it off, if you get what I mean."

"He turns you off?"

"No, he can turn _it _off," Chouji chuckled. "Like, he's a good ninja in the field, but as soon as we get back to life here in the village, he changes. He can trip and stumble at home, and I almost envy the fact that he can just forget about everything outside the walls of Konoha and enjoy life here with me." Chouji sighed a little at some secret memory. "He just makes me feel like... this life, this love; it's all enough for him. Like he's completely content with spending the rest of his life with me."

Shikamaru felt a pang of some unknown emotion. Was he jealous like Kiba?

"And I think I'm ready to give my best shot at being with him."

"Whatever," Shikamaru sighed. "It's not like I could stop him from coming if you're here."

Chouji couldn't bring himself to say anything at the moment, so he settled with smiling at Shikamaru in thanks.

"Is that him?," Shikamaru asked without even bothering to look. Further down the hill, someone was trudging through the powder. The sound of footsteps were so distant that they were almost inaudible.

"Y-yeah," Chouji answered. As he watched Teddy climb the hill, he was debating with him self on whether or not he should go run down and greet him or wait until he made it up the hill himself.

Apparently, it showed on his face because Shikamaru answered that question for him. "Wait until he's a little farther up. You'll seem desperate if you go running down now."

Teddy was considerably closer when Shikamaru spoke again. "Don't wait too long, you'll seem disinterested." It was barely above a mumble, but Chouji could tell without even looking that Shikamaru was smiling.

Deciding to ignore Shikamaru's little gibe, Chouji hopped up to greet Teddy. "Hey," Chouji said as he neared. "Where've you been?"

"Shopping," Teddy replied happily. Chouji wasn't sure if he should be happy too or worried, since he had that naughty look on his face.

"For what?," Chouji asked warily.

Sensing Chouji's apprehension, Teddy decided to give him the better news first. "Well, I got this," he smiled as he pulled out a bag of barbecue chips. Handing it to Chouji, he saw that he was visibly relieved. "But..."

Chouji's eyes shot up. "But?"

"Well," Teddy started. "Considering I'm your... um..."

"Boyfriend," Shikamaru chimed in.

"Right, that," Teddy joked. Chouji pouted at the two of them. "_Also_ considering the fact that I'm going on a mission, I think I'm obligated to give you at least one horrible gift, so I found this."

Chouji dry heaved when he saw Teddy pull out one of the most horrific articles of clothing he'd ever seen. It was so clearly Teddy, yet so startingly off-setting that he had to set down his bag of chips. "T-Teddy, you don't expect me to wear that, do you?" Shikamaru barely managed to stifle a snicker.

Teddy showed off his acting skills when he feigned suprise. He held up the shirt that said, "I'm not gay" on the front, and on the back, it said, "But my boyfriend is" (A/N, I've actually seen this shirt and thought it was hilarious XD).

"W-what do you mean, Chouji?," he whined. He turned the puppy-dog eyes on him. Chouji made a mental note to start seperating him from Akamaru. "I think it's cute," he mumbled. "You don't like it?"

With Teddy leaning in with a trembling lip, Chouji could practically feel himself getting forced into a corner. "Um...," Chouji stammered. "T-Teddy, I'm not sure what to tell you..." His eyebrows lifted high enough to reveal his coal-black eyes. "Teddy, if my dad sees me in that-"

"So you're saying you _don't _want it?"

Chouji put up his hands in defense. "It's not that, Teddy! I appreciate the thought, but if you make me wear that, I'll have to kill myself."

Teddy pouted a bit in disappointment. "Ah well," he conceded. "I could probably find someone else to give it to. Say... Kiba perhaps? But it'd hardly be appropriate since I only have _one _boyfriend..."

Chouji's face darkened at the mention of Kiba. The image of Kiba making bedroom-eyes at Teddy sent his blood boiling.

"Hand it over..."

Teddy grinned in triumph. "What was that?"

"Just give me the shirt before I change my mind," Chouji growled. He wasn't about to let Kiba fool around with Teddy, but that had it's price.

Chouji gritted his teeth as Teddy threw his arms around him. Teddy had better thank God that he's so adorable.

"And I guess that means I can't come to dinner next week, so-"

"Twice," Teddy reminded with a small sigh as he rested his head just below Chouji's collarbone.

"Yes, twice next week, so we'll just have a rain-check after the mission, alright?," Chouji suggested to the boy next to him. He looked so totally disappointed that Chouji had to offer him something.

"Tell you what," Chouji began. "As soon as you come back, I'll cook you breakfast for those two days too, alright?" Kissing his hand gently, he hoped it would cheer him up. Chouji was rewarded with one of Teddy's warm smiles as his boyfriend lowered his head onto his lap.

"Chouji?," Teddy asked softly.

"Mhm?," he grumbled back absently. He was preoccupied with running his fingers through Teddy's hair.

"Promise me something," he said. It wasn't quite a question, but it was tentative, as if he thought Chouji could refuse.

"Anything," Chouji assured him, paying much more attention now.

"If I come back, promise you won't forget about me when I'm gone...," he laughed. Though it sounded like a joke, Chouji took it very seriously. He didn't miss the "if I come back" either.

"Only if you promise _me _something," Chouji countered.

"And what's that?," Teddy asked as he came up to nuzzle Chouji's neck.

"Promise me that you'll come back," he mumbled into Teddy's hair. He now had an arm securely around Teddy, but he could already feel the separation pulling Teddy away. The sensation made him sick to his stomach.

Teddy looked into his eyes levelly. "You know I can't..." Chouji pursed his lips in a clearly irritated expression. "Chouji, please!" He intertwined his fingers with his. "I'll promise you something else then..."

If Teddy didn't know better, he would've thought Chouji's reluctance to respond was childish. That's not to say he didn't find it cute though. "What?"

"Well, I can promise you...," Teddy whispered. "That... I won't look at any guys while I'm gone."

"Yeah, I know that!," Chouji scoffed sarcastically, earning him a smack that turned his headdress around. "I guess I deserved that...," he mumbled through the thick material.

Shikamaru snorted. Cloud-watching was much more interesting with Teddy around here, and he was seriously considering keeping him. They'd have to tone it down on the gooey-ness though.

"But I really do appreciate it, Teddy," Chouji pointed out, trying to salvage Teddy's heartfelt promise. With a quick adjustment of his headgear, he pulled Teddy back to him and set him securely in his lap. This time, he nuzzled Teddy's neck. "And I love you, Teddy" Chouji added as if it was a statement of common knowledge.

"Chouji...," Teddy sighed in his embrace. "I've got to go."

He responded by holding on even tighter.

"Seriously, Chouji," Teddy repeated. "If I finish it faster, I'll be dismissed sooner."

Though he was loathe to do it, Chouji eventually relaxed his grip. All the while, he couldn't forget Teddy's unmade promise.

"C'mon, Chouji," Teddy pleaded. "Are you going to be like this during the Chuunin exams too?" Teddy immediately regretted bringing that up when the blood drained from his lover's face. Realizing his mistake, he knelt next to Chouji and held his face in his hands.

"Chouji, I'm a ninja, have some faith in me," Teddy joked. He knew for a fact that despite his profession, he was also one of the most clumsy people in Konoha when he was around Chouji. He counted the seconds as he lowered his lips to Chouji's to distract him from that thought. Even though it seemed as if even Chouji's kissing was getting languid now, the one thing he'd always have was that faint hint of barbecue.

He felt Chouji getting into the spirit and a hand snuck up to the nape of his neck. When Chouji pulled him down to straddle his lap, Teddy lost count. Knowing that this could potentially make him late, Teddy reluctantly broke off the kiss. After he released himself, Teddy lingered inches from Chouji's face. "I love you too," Teddy grinned. He shivered as he left the warmth of Chouji's arms to

He turned and waved a goodbye to Shikamaru. "I hope I'll see you soon,"

"Yeah, whatever," Shikamaru groaned.

"Love you too," Teddy sighed with a roll of his eyes. They quickly darted back to Chouji though, who looked about as disappointed about him leaving as he felt.

Not knowing how to make the goodbye more final, Teddy decided it was best to just leave. Chouji's eyes followed as Teddy bounded into the dense forest below.

"Cheer up, Chouji," Shikamaru croaked. "At least he forgot about the shirt."

"But what if he gets killed, Shika!," Chouji yelled. He'd found an outlet for his emotions and the entire load was spilling out now. "With his luck, he'd just trip and fall on a tree branch and get eaten alive by crows!" Just then, an audible crack could be heard in the forest followed quickly by the squawking of angered birds. "Or find some way to get struck by-"

"Chouji, we're on a hill, don't push it," Shikamaru interrupted with a nervous look to the clouds. Sensing Chouji fuming and pacing, Shikamaru tried to placate him logically. "Chouji, there's nothing dangerous about his mission. He's escorting a merchant, big whoop. It's statistically sound to assume that he'll make it back in one piece," he smirked.

Knowing his friend was right but still not happy about it, Chouji shot him the "what-would-you-know?" look. The next couple weeks were going to be torture. Teddy would be away, and what was worse, he didn't even know for sure whether or not he was coming back. It seems as though fate isn't kind to Shinobi.

-End (for now)

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**I'm not good at writing lemons, so I just left it up to your imagination *WINK WINK*. I'd really love some reviews if you have any comments on my writing, but I'll be back with something sometime if I can find the time to write.**


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